SITUATIONYesterday we deployed the first update on the default branch of both the Alpha and the Alpha Lite (same changes). Next to a set of miscellaneous fixes, tweaks and additions, it also included some work-in-progress shadow improvements. The main idea was to make them look more soft, hide artifacts and also optimize the shaders powering them a little. We've also learned new lessons from this first 'patch', which we'll incorporate into our processes for the next one. We do have to keep stressing that we are in Alpha, meaning even pre-Beta. This means some updates will be a step forward in various areas, and potentially a step back in certain others (temporarily we hope). It also causes a lot of maintenance for creators of custom content and server administrators. Please remain patient as updates propagate into everyone's game, their servers and the mods.

INTELLIGENCEThe 0.52 version unfortunately contained a particularly nasty crash in multiplayer, for which we have published a default branch hotfix.

Not all issues you may encounter are caused by the vanilla Alpha. Our own work is far from done, but please do take into account the potential downside of mods. If they become incompatible due to a game update, they may even cause the game not to start. First try to disable or remove mods and test again. Next, look for updates to such mods, or check with their creators about their status. This is a pitfall of being an open platform and having modding even during Alpha, but we firmly stand behind leaving it enabled throughout.

We've started to highlight cool community content via several channels. The main website has a Community Focus widget with several tabs that will be updated regularly. And on our social channels we'll occasionally link to useful websites, cool content, nice machinima and exciting mods. Let us know about nice content by Tweeting our official channel, using #Arma3, or promoting it in the forums.

It's almost time to let you know the specifics of the Supporter Edition and who made it into the credits for example. We feel we have a solution that is fair, given some of the troubles on release day. A special page with details and the opt-in functionality for those people will be made available soon. We again wish to thank everybody who is supporting us and Arma 3 development!

OPERATIONSYour Player ID (visible in the profile settings) may have changed to be longer. This is not a bug. Please update your Squad's XML indexing if you use it for multiplayer.

Performance optimizations, anti-cheat solutions, Dedicated Server packages and tool releases are all in progress. They are big tasks and once we have specific deployment dates, we will share those.

LOGISTICSThe 0.52 update and all other updates are automatically downloaded via Steam if you did not manually disable that option. Sometimes restarting the Steam client helps to trigger the update, if it did not do so automatically.

- Showcase SCUBA: *More forgiving alarm threshold *Added more hints *Improved scenario endings *More rockets for the launcher added- Showcase Helicopters: *Performance optimizations *Few minor tweaks- Showcase Vehicles: *More forgiving alarm threshold *Few minor tweaks- MP: Escape from Stratis *Fixed: Mission success after resuming game *'Combat Get In' module added *Respawn time is now 30 seconds (was 120) *Improved mission endings *New task appears when both choppers on the airfield are destroyed *New mission ending "all boats and helicopters destroyed" *Warning hint pops up when the group leader is AI controlled *Patrolling Ka-60 Black now unloads troops when under fire *More enemies at the airfield *Some new map locations populated- MP: Headhunters *"Exfiltrate" task is now set as current after all targets are eliminated *The mission will now end when either all players are near the exfil marker or in a boat *'Combat Get In' module added *Possible respawn desync in multiplayer fixed New scenario ending screen added Task notification visuals improved Seagull in "BIRD", "GROUP" and "SIDE" respawn replaced by a basic spectator camera Scenarios-button now always available, even when there's no content Added more entries into Field Manual Compass and watch re-sized Ka-60 minigun now rotates Ka-60 doors and glass made correctly penetrable MH-9 passengers can now see the tail Helicopter weapons tweaked Class names for Ifrits changed to be the correct ones Alamut and MX SW now have correct icons in command menu Countermeasures now stored in one magazine per vehicle Correct Alpha Lite logo in splash screens added Most windows in houses are now destructable Static weapons should be more durable, shouldn't be targetable by guided missiles and shouldn't be flippable by user action when destroyed Added more camoflage selections for vests and helmets Red faction uniforms have proper class names Changed priorities in action menu TRG iron-sights remodeled after feedback Collimator sights are now default primary on combined optics (Ctrl + RMB is the default switch) Camera shake on 6.5mm ammunition removed Server browser UI overlapping fixed in some places Squad URL is no longer automatically upper-cased (and thus broken) Editor loading took long when using MX rifles - fixed Added freelook in vehicles via default option Correct tracer colors have been distributed among factions Fish should be less inclined to travel on land

ENGINE

Shadow improvements implemented Improved network performance (vehicles are no longer lagging as much) Fixed several game crashes Fixed synchronization of cargo poses in MP Fixed various inventory-related bugs and crashes Improved vehicle collisions Grenades can no longer be thrown under water Fixed airplane / helicopter camera shaking Default and Development versions have different numbering to prevent incompatibilities in multiplayer

Massi has informed us about his Russian GRU and OMON Spetnaz for Arma3 Alpha addon on our Forums.

This addon is A3 soldier retexture meant to represent Russian Spetsnaz GRU and OMON units as OPFOR in A3Alpha.It contains 4 set units in different camouflage that cover pretty much all the environments: urban, surpat, flora and digital camo.

The units have their own uniform items , plus gear in flora pattern and headset with black, flora, surpat and digital helmets.Units have caps and woolhats items to make them interchangeable, they also come with 2 weapon boxes with all weapons, gear and uniform in use, and divers have their backpack with uniform, gear and woolhats inside, to make them change once ashore.

This is an Alpha version, and there will probably be no updates for this stage , hope you’ll enjoy it !

Following up on the more general introduction two weeks ago, this second video takes a closer look at infantry combat, with Andrew Gluck (better known as Dslyecxi from ShackTactical) offering a number of tips on how to operate more effectively as an infantryman.

SITUATIONLast week was busy with a more hidden release: Arma 3 Alpha Lite. There should already be plenty of codes available for it via people who purchased the Alpha earlier, via social channels and via many organized giveaways. The team is now working on two major parallel paths of development: Alpha maintenance and internal work on content such as the full game's campaign and the Altis environment. It's quite a different approach to how we are used to working, so we're still ironing out the kinks.

INTELLIGENCEIf you purchased any of the Alpha editions, your Alpha Lite codes should be available as gifts in your Steam Inventory.Cross-joining multiplayer between default and Development branch was disabled on request of 124th Seagull Aviation Squadron.The Feedback Tracker now has a most-voted issue overview.Supporter Edition medals are being awarded on the forums.Not sure you want to use default or Development branch? Have a look at this brief summary.

OPERATIONSQuality Assurance have begun evaluating a new default branch update (could be released later this week).Our programmers are experimenting with improved shadows in the Development branch (smoother, minor optimizations).We are trying to maintain a manually compiled Development branch changelog, while we set up automation for this process.

LOGISTICSHead over to the forums to read up on switching between default and Development branches for the Alpha (not available for Lite).When you see us doing or releasing something you feel does not have priority (because it's not optimization or anti-cheat): keep in mind different tasks have different experts working on them. Campaign designers do not work on anti-cheat and vehicle artists do not optimize the engine code. Both tasks are also massive undertakings that will not be done quickly.

While the Arma 3™ Alpha leads Steam’s Top Sellers chart since launch, Bohemia Interactive today also made a free invite-only variant available. The Arma 3 Alpha Lite is a limited version of the Arma 3 Alpha – providing people with the opportunity to try out the singleplayer showcase missions, a selection of weapons and vehicles, and the scenario editor. Unlike the regular Arma 3 Alpha, the Arma 3 Alpha Lite does not feature a multiplayer component or modding support, and does not include access to the Arma 3 Beta and complete game later on. To participate in the Alpha Lite, people need to be invited by those who have purchased the regular Arma 3 Alpha. The Arma 3 Alpha Lite will be discontinued on June 18th, 2013.

Upgrading to the complete Arma 3 Alpha can be done by purchasing the Arma 3 Alpha (24.99 EUR/19.99 GBP/32.99 USD) or Arma 3 Digital Deluxe Edition (39.99 EUR/34.99 GBP/49.99 USD) on Steam. Extras in the Digital Deluxe Edition include a digital soundtrack*, digital maps*, digital tactical guide*, and a Steam Gift of Arma: Cold War Assault (formerly known as Operation Flashpoint™: Cold War Crisis). Both versions provide access to the Arma 3 Beta plus a digital version of the complete game upon release. The price of each edition will increase once the Arma 3 Beta and final game become available.

Those who would like to sponsor development further also have the option to purchase the Arma 3 Supporter Edition (69.99 EUR/59.99 GBP/91.99 USD) from Store.bistudio.com. Besides the additional Arma development support, this edition ships with all the extras from the digital deluxe edition, plus Supporter-exclusive rewards like a Steam Gift of Arma X, all future Arma 3 DLCs and a special forums medal. The full overview of editions, and their conditions, can be found on the official Arma 3 website.

For more information on Arma 3 and the Arma 3 Alpha, be sure to visit the official website at www.arma3.com

SITUATIONOur entire team has received a big morale boost from the positive reception of the Alpha! Many of us have been collecting feedback from all channels and are making sure it ends up with the appropriate developers. We realize there is a long road ahead towards Beta and full release, but we are confident we are on the right track.

INTELLIGENCE"G is for Grenade" We are aware of requests for a more stream-safe GUI. Our designers are looking into the possibilities. MP hacking is another topic we are trying to tackle from several angles. The Alpha Lite is starting this Thursday (14 March), which is when the codes will start to be distributed. Modders, please have a look at our official stance on forward-porting Arma 1 / 2 content. There are several scams running that promise free and working Steam Codes. Note that these are often malware designed to hijack accounts for example. We thank all of you who have shown their support by buying the Alpha on Steam and via Store.bistudio.com!

OPERATIONSThe programming team's priority is stability: targeting the most common crashes first. Another priority fix being worked is the synchronization of MP cargo positions (everybody seeming dead). Showcase and COOP fixes are also coming up, along with an assortment of things reported via the Feedback Tracker.

LOGISTICSWe've pushed the first updates to the Development branch on Steam (including the first fixes for crash opportunities). See this guide on how to opt into that branch if you accept the risks of a less stable version. Some of our developers have immediately started to publish useful scripting and modding documentation: e.g. scripting, characters and weapons. The collection of documentation will be evolving and growing continuously.

On Thursday we have posted the first four ArmA III Alpha community addonshere. Now we're going into the second round:

-Old stlye US Army BDUMondkalb has created some US Army jackets and trousers for the ArmA3 soldiers. These models were quickly thrown together in one afternoon using nothing but Photoshop and O2. Hands and proxies are taken from Vespa's A3 sample models, the boots were taken from A2's (russian) sample soldier. The rest was actually done by me.

-NoBlurRemoves or negates the rotational blur from Post Processing levels Low or higher.Based on the findings from ArmA 2 posted by Oktane

-FA_stanceThe stance system in Arma 3 is pretty cool, but it's sometimes hard to tell which stance you are in, especially from first person.FA_stance to the rescue! Your current stance is displayed as a human silhouette in the bottom right corner, and a small arrow shows the current stance modifier (high, low, sidestep).

-Tao Folding Map 2.1Tao Folding Map will allow you to toggle a usefully-large map anytime in game by pressing Shift-M

Craig_VG has released the Dynamic Zombie Sandbox for ArmA III on their offical website

Hello. After over a year of development over multiple platforms, DZS is ready to be released for ArmA 3. This new engine brings plenty of new features to spice up the zombie experience. First and foremost is rag doll. Now mundane things like hitting zombies with your vehicle become far more satisfying. Physics also brings the potential for excellent new gameplay possibilites.DZS has mostly remained the same for this version, but some features may not work since this is a whole new iteration of the game. The ArmA 3 version of DZS was taken directly from the latest beta of ArmA 2 CO DZS.

Disclaimer:Obviously this is an alpha version of the game, but this is also an alpha version of the mission. Version .01. Expect tons of bugs. This is a stripped down version of DZS, more to come. But this is the best I could do in one day.

Some things that do not work:Food/waterLogisticsVehicles do not spawnNo weapons found on map

DZS v. 0.2 for A3:

Changes:-Included plentiful ammobox spawns near where the player starts. NOTE: You may have to search for them!-Made steps to counteract the “Swimming on respawn” issues.-Zombies no longer stop spawning permanently, they will begin again over time.-Did a lot of testing regarding vehicles

Vehicles are still out as of now. After you load in after the mission spawns vehicles, there is massive lag for a long time. Disabling simulation helps a little, but isn’t a final solution. I’m currently writing a more efficient method of vehicle spawning, which will be released tomorrow (March 9)

Ohally has released some WIP screenshots of his Canadian Armed Forces Mod for ArmA III on the BIS Forums.

The Canadian Armed Forces project is underway during the ARMA 3 Alpha. Our project is being conducted in phases:

Phase 1 - InfantryThis phase will be the texturing of CF uniforms (CADPAT) and the integration of the CG634 Ballistic Helmet used by Canadian Forces.Phase 2 - WeaponryWe will be bringing the current weapons of the CF to ARMA 3 to include C7A2, C8A2, C9A2 and C6 GPMG to start, with hopes of AT weaponry and static weapons soon after

Phase 3 - Land VehiclesPorting and upgrading of LAV III, Coyote, and hops of a MSVS for logistical support.

Phase 4 - AircraftStarting with the Chinook and then moving forward. As of now the RCAF is re-assessing the decision to purchase the F35 so we will likely be waiting to see what is chosen to replace the CF-18 before moving on any fighter projects.

We are aiming to have Phase 1 and 2 complete before ARMA III goes Beta, along with some public servers running.